Microsoft UC Launch Event: Getting Ready

One of the more interesting themes in some of the media calls I have had over the past few days has been the "what's new" question. And it's a great question - with all the hype leading up to the Microsoft launch - there is no "new technology" per se. When you talk to people about the types of applications you find yourself referencing the same examples that have been around for some time:

• Presence: The value of presence has been talked about for many years - and while presence continues to get more intelligent there is nothing really all that transformational.
• Instant Messaging: OK, ditto here. We've had IM for many years.
• Web conferencing: Ditto again. Web conferencing has been around since the late nineties.
• VoIP/IP Telephony: Also not "new" from - the industry has been on a steady progression towards VoIP/IP Telephony for some time as well.
• Audio/Video Conferencing: While RoundTable changes the dynamics around room systems and has the added benefit of integration with Office Live Meeting 2007, again - this is not a *new* technology but more of a new form factor/device with exploits richer capabilities that have been maturing.
• Unified Messaging: It's been "the year of unified messaging" for about a decade so nothing new here.
• Mobile: Progression in terms of speech technologies - perhaps new ground in terms of mainstreaming the capability but new "in and of itself".

So why all the fuss?

Mostly, all the above examples have been deployed in a stove-pipe fashion. So what is new is the following:

• Platform approach: Convergence of multiple communication technologies into a cohesive platform framework is indeed new - at least a platform that spans communication and collaboration and needed content capabilities to work within required archival and records management/compliance requirements.
• Centralization: Platforms help with centralization of data, content, policies, integration and so on. This does not (should not) mean a single vendor - but a common architectural foundation with generalized infrastructure services that can support a diverse range of devices, form factors, UC tools, real-time collaborative applications and UC-enabled business processes.
• User Experience: a platform approach with centralized services enables a more seamless user experience in terms of transitions across devices, applications and so on. Common meta data can be leveraged within a platform environment to help deliver unified communications "in context" of a worker's activities.
• Extensibility: A platform approach that provides for centralization and delivers a more consistent user experience also needs to be extensible - that means the ability for third party applications to plug into the environment - to replace certain functional modules within that UC platform - to federate/interoperate with other UC platforms and so on.
• Economics: Finally, there should be break-thru economics from all the above that lower total costs, reduce complexity, simplify development and management and provide for better adaptability/resiliency over time as technology and business requirements continue to evolve.

We'll see how today matches up against these early thoughts...